ABC Show ‘Wipeout’ Saves Youth Pastor’s Life [VIDEO]

ABC’s hit show ‘Wipeout’ is known for the brutal beating contestants receive. While it’s entertaining, contestants walk away banged up and bruised. One contestant took the beatings in stride, but couldn’t figure out why he was in so much pain months after the show. He thought he was having recurring headaches because of a head injury he sustained on the show. He went to the doctor and what they discovered was much worse than just a bumped head.

Youth pastor Jason Poznaks had always dreamed of being a contestant on “Wipeout.” The obstacles, games and beatings are something he always found entertaining and he wanted to be a part of it. He said the kids and youth he pastors in Carlsbad, Calif., encouraged him to try out for the show.

I think more than 85,000 people applied on the season. For us to go through the audition and actually get on was a lot of fun. We dedicated it to the children and the youth that we serve. I think my catchphrase was ‘This is for every kid that wanted me to be wiped out.’”

And as most contestants do, Poznaks got pretty banged up. He said he had severe pain for a few days, which he expected. What he didn’t expect was to continue having unbearable migraines and eyesight problems for months after the show. He went to the optometrist thinking all he needed was a new pair of contacts. When the optometrist told him his eyesight was perfect, Poznaks knew it was something much worse.

Following doctor’s orders, he immediately made an appointment with a neurologist. There he received the shocking news that it wasn’t just a bump to the head — it was a brain tumor. The tumor was the size of a fist and had run out of room to grow, which was causing the headaches and the vision issues. On June 21, just 10 days after his trip to the optometrist, Poznaks had emergency surgery to remove the tumor.

The surgeon strongly believes she removed all of the tumor, but since it is a very rare type of tumor, there is still a lot that the youth pastor has to go through. They are still waiting on the complete diagnosis, and while he waits he will continue to have seven weeks of radiation — which will leave him bald — along with three more MRIs and a spinal tap.

Poznaks credits the show for saving his life. Had he not hit his head a few times and wiped out, he may never have had the urge to go to the doctor.

When speaking about “Wipeout,” he gives some advice to future contestants: “Just go and have fun. It’s the chance of a lifetime. I call it work hard, play hard.”

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